The Old Shack

He had just woken up from an overly long nap
and saw that it was almost 11p.m. That was
pretty much an entire Saturday evening gone.
Normally, he would just go to the bar down the
street for a few rounds to pass the time and talk
to the regulars but he was more broke than usual
this night. He put on shoes and a hoodie and got
in his car. He drove through the neighborhood
and started hitting the major streets. He inched
closer and closer to the beach. Next thing he
knew he was driving along the black coast.
The sound of unseen waves steady as a heart
beat on the sand. He loved this stretch of beach
late at night. Hardly anyone around to disturb
him. Just the steady pace of the car moving home
across the distances. Finally, the shore disappeared
from view as the road began to slope downward
towards a stoplight. He came to a stop and sat there
waiting for the light to turn. He passed a small beach
bar that looked modestly busy. It was called 'The
Beach Shack'. He passed it and continued on through
the neighborhood. He slowed down and parked his car
in front of an old bungalow. He looked at it for a moment
and began to think of all the times he had spent there
with Annie. All the times he had woken up next to her.
The hours spent in the living room and bedroom. The smells
of dinner wafting through the house. The soft padding of
their cat Candy back when she was still alive.
That was all gone. She was gone. Only he remained.
He decided he would drop by the shack tonight after all.